A military genius worshiped for his courage; a fierce politician admired
for his shrewdness and mercy; a brilliant writer and speaker. It's no
wonder that in his lifetime, Julius Caesar held the positions of
military tribune, praetor, consul, pro-consul, and dictator. But even
his astounding ambition could not make him emperor, though it did
achieve the conquest of Cleopatra, ruler of the most fabulous kingdom in
all of known civilization. In this biography of Caesar, Bradford steers
away from the clichés and legends to cut right to the heart of whom
Caesar really was-a man who based his entire existence on the pursuit of
power. Ernle Bradford was born in 1922 and died in 1986. He was a noted
British historian specializing in the Mediterranean world and naval
topics. Bradford was an enthusiastic sailor himself and spent almost
thirty years sailing the Mediterranean, where many of his books are set.
He served in the Royal Navy during World War II, finishing as the first
lieutenant of a destroyer. Bradford lived in Malta for a number of
years. He did occasional broadcast work for the BBC, was a magazine
editor, and wrote many books, including Hannibal, Paul the Traveller,
Julius Caesar: The Pursuit of Power, Christopher Columbus, and The
Mighty Hood.
